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Twenty-six were killed on the other side, so steady the nerve and deliberate the aim of the Covenanters in the face of crushing odds. The war for freedom was now on; the first blood was shed and had consecrated Ayrsmoss. But the prize of liberty was of high value; other fields must yet be crimsoned with streams flowing from many a heart.
Ayrsmoss lies in the heart of a wide solitude. The eye takes in a wild, broken surface in all directions. Loneliness broods in the very air. The heart grows heavy and the eyes dreamy, while we sit on a tuft of rushes and gaze at the monument that bears the names of the worthy dead.
"LET CHRIST REIGN," he exclaimed with prophetic fire; "LET CHRIST REIGN, is a standard that shall yet overthrow all the thrones of Europe;" and he spoke as if his flashing eyes saw the thrones reel, and his quick ears heard the crash of their fall. One brief month lay between Sanquhar and Ayrsmoss. Cameron and his little company moved cautiously over the desolate places.
What successive attitudes toward the king did they assume? When did they proclaim a revolutionary war against the king? Who were their leaders? Where was the declaration of war issued? What was the nature of the Queensferry declaration? Under what obligations were future generations placed? What task here has fallen to us? Ayrsmoss is a household word among Covenanters.
That noble life, so full of zeal, action, and power, left a lasting imprint on the Church of the Covenanters. So mighty was his influence that the people who stood strictly to the Covenant were henceforth called Cameronians. The field of Ayrsmoss presented a sad sight that evening. The departing day may have flung over it a glowing sunset, but nothing could relieve the gloom.
What monument has been erected at Ayrsmoss? What previous proclamation occasioned this battle? What charges did the Covenanters prefer against the king? How long after the declaration till this fight occurred? How did Cameron and his associates employ their time? Who appeared in search of them? How many men were on each side? Who won the battle? How account for God's people suffering defeat?
What was the cost of the liberty we enjoy? How should we guard it for other generations? Richard Cameron had fallen in the battle at Ayrsmoss; but the cause had not failed, nor would he be forgotten. "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." His years were brief, but his work was great. He was fresh and hearty, in the very prime of his life when he met death.
"The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains; and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." Describe Ayrsmoss on the night after the battle? What did the enemy do with Cameron's body? How did Cameron's life and death impress the Covenanters? Why were the Cameronians called extremists?
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